LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 18: Singer Justin Bieber arrives at the premiere of Open Road Films’ “Justin Bieber’s Believe” at the Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on December 18, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images); Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Immigration has been, and will likely, remain a hot button topic leading up to the 2016 election. But what does someone like, say, Justin Bieber, who hails from Canada, have to do to get a U.S. visa? There’s a process for entertainers called the O-1B visa program, and it’s being compared to a fast pass for the immigration process. Gary Baum, senior writer at the Hollywood Reporter, has looked into this. He joined host A Martinez with more.

On what the O-1B visa process is:

“It works like many programs in some fashions and unlike others in other ways. It’s really an economically-oriented program, it’s small but it’s growing. We found that within the entertainment industry within the past four years it’s grown by about 50 percent from about 2,000 applications a year to 3,000. And what’s going on is it brings in what’s known as ‘talent with extraordinary ability,’ I’m putting in air quotes because that’s how it’s actually defined, by the U.S. government, they’re in the business of defining extraordinary talent within the artistic sphere.”

Is the application process for this similar to anyone else that is trying to also get in the country?

“In some fashions it is. It can be onerous, and in some ways it’s unique, particularly in terms of defining that extraordinary ability. What’s unique within the O-1B category is that it is something that is almost always fast tracked, and it’s almost always fast-tracked because nearly everyone that is involved with it uses something called premium processing, which costs $1,255. It basically allows an applicant to have the application processed within 15 days. And that’s unique because often times with the processing, it can take months, it can be Kafka-esque. In this case, you have a special phone number, a special email address, and it’s basically almost like a concierge-type service… Premium processing is available for a number of different other letter visas, in fact it’s available widely. But the usage of premium processing isn’t so predominant in other places. It really is something that you have to be able to afford, and often times it’s somebody else that is paying for it. It’s a company, paying for it, it’s your agent that is paying for it, but it’s those, generally, who are privileged that are able to have this expedited process handled.”

Is this similar to tech visas where the person has a specialized skill and they can get fast-tracked because of that skill?

“Correct, it is. The government wanted to find ways to make life easier for those it preferred to prioritize into the country. And to be clear, the reason why it’s making that a priority is for economic needs, and not just often times for that person, but for the projects that they’re involved in. When I talked to the immigration attorneys that specialize in this in Hollywood, and it’s a very small group, less than 10 people, we’re talking about the star of a film or the director, a cinematographer, or a special effects artist who might be critical to the success of a $100 million production that has all sorts of tax incentives and also employs hundreds and hundreds of other domestic workers.”

On the reaction from other people involved in immigration — maybe even those who have to wait like everyone else:

“The immigration world is somewhat compartmentalized. The area that I’ve been focusing on with O-1B is an incredibly cloistered, elite world. Whether you’re talking about A-list stars or even voice-over actors, it’s really some of the most privileged people that come through the immigration department. Most people that are immigrating are nothing like that. They’re anonymous, they’re less wealthy, and they’re certainly less connected. And those that represent those interests are frankly very surprised because the U.S. Citizen Immigration Services Department is known for its wait times, particularly for those who are the least advantaged, for instance political refugees seeking asylum. Here in the Los Angeles office, if you made an interview request as an asylum seeker in August 2011, you’re currently being called up for that interview. So that’s very different than waiting a maximum of two weeks to have your request essentially processed. And so those that advocate for the least advantaged rather than the most advantaged find this pretty upsetting.”

To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.